Italian navy ship docks in Iran

TEHRAN, Iran – Iranian media says an Italian navy ship has docked in the first official visit by a Western naval boat in years.

The semi-official ISNA news agency on Saturday says the frigate Euro will visit other Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf. The visit comes two weeks after an Italian navy delegation visited the capital, Tehran.

The Italian navy posted a picture on its Twitter account Saturday showing an Iranian girl handing flowers to an Italian officer in the southern port of Bandar Abbas. It says this is the first Italian military ship to visit Iran in 15 years.

Iranian forces have had a series of tense encounters with U.S. naval vessels over the past year. Iran briefly detained 10 U.S. sailors in January after their boats drifted into Iranian waters.